HARRISBURG State Treasurer Rob McCord reported that the Pennsylvania 529 College Savings Program marked a strong, record-setting fiscal year in terms of number of accounts and total assets.

"More families than ever before are realizing that one of the only ways truly to combat the rising costs of higher education is to save for those expenses as early and often as possible," said McCord, who added that Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation in average college debt per student. "On average, Pennsylvania students leave school with $31,675 in student loan debt. Nothing says, 'Welcome to the real world,' quite like that."McCord reminded families that saving for higher education offers enormous benefits compared to borrowing, and the Pennsylvania 529 College Savings Program can help.